The new Toyota iQ may be the smallest four-seater car on the market, but it is also one of the safest, according to new independent crash testing results from Euro NCAP.
Euro NCAP, which has developed a new rating scheme which focuses on the vehicle’s overall protection performance, awarded the tiny traffic buster five stars.
In addition, one of Ireland's long established best selling models, the new Avensis, also earned a five-star rating. The new Avensis and iQ ranges went on sale here last month.
The new rating scheme uses a weighted score, combining all aspects of a car’s safety performance: adult (50 per cent ), child (20 per cent ), and pedestrian (20 per cent ) protection assessment results with the availability of driver assistance devices (10 per cent ). A minimum score of 70 per cent overall is necessary to achieve a five-star rating. To qualify for inclusion, the devices must be fitted, as standard across 85 per cent of the EU 27 2009 model range.
Despite its compact urban-friendly dimensions, the iQ makes no compromises in the fields of active and passive safety, achieving a remarkable overall weighted score of 79 per cent. Every iQ features as standard, nine airbags – including a world-first, rear window curtain shield airbag, anti-lock brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution, vehicle stability contro, and traction control.
The new Avensis’s overall weighted score of 81 per cent highlights the new Toyota’s comprehensive levels of active and passive safety technology, which include a pre-crash system, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and lane departure warning.
